MS Carnival Pride cruises Europe – our onboard visit in Germany

You can find all Carnival Pride photos here under Views of Carnival Pride.

Yes, I do!

You can say whatever you want about getting married – but when the alarm clock rings at 00:50 tonight, I say to myself „Yes, I do“! It’s a very unusual time to get up and I still need some motivation in the first few minutes. My tour on MS Carnival Pride starts at 10am and it takes time to get to Warnemünde and back to Bonn – in one day. It’s a long day ahead of me, but the effort is worth it. After all, only a few Carnival Cruise Line ships are doing the honours in Europe at the moment. Strictly speaking, it’s only the Carnival Pride. I am therefore very happy to accept the shipping company’s invitation to visit the pride of the fleet – the opportunity is simply too tempting.

A big ship for a short visit – our STORY@SEA shows you many interesting insights with an revealing summary. Let’s go: Boarding!

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After a more than eight-hour journey, the proud Carnival Pride finally lies in front of me at Pier 8 of Warnemünde harbour. The ship takes up to 2124 passengers on its worldwide voyages and offers plenty of excitement on 12 passenger decks.

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A designer ship – with its own charm

The entertainment programme on board is extensive and there is much to admire, or even take part in. The venue for the show is the Taj Mahal Main Lounge in the bow of the Pride. Like many areas of the ship, it is unconventionally styled. The interior design, which is unusual for Europeans, goes back to the architect Joe Farcus. With his signature, he has provided his exclusive style to countless Carnival ships over the years. As we all know, there is no denying that taste is an excellent subject for debate – if you want it to be.

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Choose Fun – more than a slogan

But passengers and crew seem to have other things in mind: The majority of the passengers come from the USA and have the DNA of a repeater cruiser in their blood: „Choose Fun“ is the motto of Carnival Cruise Line and indeed: the people present show how friendly, open and relaxed the interaction is: waiters practise dances in the restaurant, there is a lot of laughter and people talk openly to each other. I find life on board very congenial.

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Colourful range of food

Culinary offerings are no less colourful: classics include Guy’s Burger Joint, David’s Steakhouse up on decks 9 and 10, and the buffet restaurant Mermaid’s Grille.

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The main restaurant Normandie extends over two decks at the stern. Here I feel too overwhelmed by architect Farcus‘ styling: the ambience of the main restaurant does not appeal to me. It has too much of the character of a hall with too little visual contact towards the sea.

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On the other hand, the specialities with an Asian touch in the Bonsai Sushi restaurant on deck 2 in the belly of the ship are appealing. There are also other speciality dishes on the Lido deck: Indian and Mexican may be tried as well as Italian pizza and a salad bar. At lunchtime, I try a few snacks and can understand why Guy’s Burger Joint, for example, has such an unsurpassed reputation among Carnival and its guests: the burgers are indeed excellent, both visually and in terms of taste. Hmmmm. What is a bit unusual is, that in the buffet restaurants on the Lido deck, a lot of things are served on plastic dishes – even the drinks are served in plastic cups. Presumably this is not the case in the Normandie restaurant, where the food is served more elegantly.

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Cabin door art

On board I have a déjà vu. I know this from other US shipping companies, but had almost forgotten it: The guests on board decorate their cabin doors with all kinds of things. This styling hobby is obviously indulged in by many of the carnivalists on board – you don’t have to walk long along the corridors until you discover another interestingly decorated cabin door. Sometimes pretty, sometimes informative and sometimes even fun to participate in – a real FUNny highlight in my opinion.

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All hands on deck

It’s worth it! The deck areas are spacious and extensive: on deck 3, deck 9, deck 10 and deck 11 you can spend a lot of time outside. The ship is very well suited for sunny regions. Should the weather become uncomfortable, the roof over the main pool is closed – very convenient. In the Serenity area on deck 9 you can relax in privacy (adults only) and dream away by your own pool.

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There is plenty of fun and action on the towering Twister water slide with splash zone. You have to be brave to plunge almost vertically down the tube. I stood at the top and had a look. Hui ui ui, that’s really quite high! Deck 11 at the bow is more leisurely: if you like, you can play mini-golf and have a nice view of the bow – albeit from behind high, tinted glass windows.

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Inside the ship, I am impressed by the atrium: it stretches from the reception on deck 2 up to deck 8. Three lifts whiz silently up and down under another unconventional colour scheme. The lobby bar opposite invites you to linger and watch the scene.

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Red or black?

These colours look familiar to me: Of course, they can be found on the numerous roulette tables in the large Club Casino, among other things. I don’t think there’s an American cruise ship without a casino, and it’s no different here. It takes a moment to stroll past all the gaming tables on deck 2. Today, the silence prevails before the next gaming storm: in port, the casino and shops remain closed and I don’t have to decide what I would bet on…

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One deck above, there is a large selection of products in the on-board shops. The displays in the windows offer T-shirts in XL, XXL and triple XL, for example… I wonder if it’s because of the good food on board? There will certainly be plenty of purchases, as the FUN shops are part of Carnival’s corporate culture.

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The choice is hard: the range of cabins

The choice is wide and includes no less than two dozen cabin categories. The offer ranges from an adequately modest inside cabin to a 43-square-metre Vista Suite with balcony and private whirlpool. As a treat, there are very nice balcony cabins at the stern, which offer a wonderful view of the ship’s wake during the cruise and are certainly among my favourites. MS Carnival Pride is very well booked on this cruise, and so I can only view one balcony cabin for SHIPS@SEA. The purpose-built cabins are at least 17sqm in size and, in my eyes, comparatively understated. Chapeau.

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Favourite spot

I found two for myself: Outside at the stern on deck 9 in the Serenity area, there is wonderful lounge furniture along the railing: here you can sit comfortably in a kind of shell and dream away to distant destinations. The piano bar and the Redfrog Pub seem promising to me inside: when live music is playing, these intimate locations have plenty of FUN potential.

SHIPS@SEA Summary

In my hours on board I was able to gain an insight into the proud Pride, which by its very nature cannot appreciate all areas. The versatile ship offers a very good crew featuring the very best entertainment with a high FUN component. The visual appearance clearly focuses on the American market. It is therefore not surprising that American and British passengers make up the absolute majority on board and that Europeans have so far only occasionally found their way onto MS Carnival Pride. For the local taste, everything may seem too pompous, bulky and dark to colourful. At least at first glance. But those who give the ship a second look and are prepared to mentally break away from familiar designs will have a good and, above all, enjoyable time on board. The software makes the difference – not just the hardware.

At the end of summer 2022, the FUN ship will sail to the Mediterranean and then to the Caribbean. In 2023, there will be a reunion in Europe: Carnival Pride will then show itself again with varied routes in the north and south in the old world.

Tip: You can book these voyages now without risk: The Carnival Early Saver Rate rewards early bookers with the best prices. In addition, the fare includes a „Price Protection“: if you see the trip cheaper after all, you will be credited the difference as on-board credit.

Advertising: SHIPS@SEA visited MS Carnival Pride at the invitation of Carnival Cruise Line with excellent support and organisation from Inter-Connect Agency as General Sales Agent for the German-speaking market.

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